Monday, November 30, 2015

I'm Thankful For a Bowl for the Hoosiers

Battling the elements and the overpowering stench of human and animal feces that perpetually hangs over West Lafayette, I was on hand to watch the Hoosiers dominate their arch-rivals from Purdue, 54-36, to keep the Old Oaken Bucket.  This was a significant win for several reasons:
1.  Because fuck Purdue.
2.  It was the Hoosiers' sixth win, meaning they will go bowling for the first time since 2007.
3.  The 54 points were the most points IU has ever scored against Purdue.
4.  It is the first time since winning the Bucket game four times in a row from 1944 to 1947 that IU has won at least three in a row against Purdue.
5.  With the win, the Hoosiers won two consecutive Big Ten road games for the first time since 1993.

Now, the only remaining question is in which bowl IU will be playing.  Back in late September, after the Hoosiers started 4-0, I posted the top ten bowls I thought IU would play in.  I didn't imagine that IU would lose by a touchdown to Ohio State, Iowa, and Michigan, nor did I imagine that they would blow a 25-point third-quarter lead to Rutgers at home or lose six in a row.  My biggest fear was that they would somehow shit the bed and only win one more game, which I think had the potential to set the program back another five years, since I think Kevin Wilson may not have survived.  But alas, they won their last two games to go 6-6, and that's all that matters.  Here is where the "experts" project the Hoosiers will play in a bowl (all times Eastern):
-Pinstripe Bowl (New York, NY; 12/26 3:30 p.m.) (Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach of ESPN, SB Nation, Campus Insiders, Yahoo, Sporting News, College Football News)
-Foster Farms Bowl (Santa Clara, CA; 12/26 9:15 p.m.) (Jerry Palm of CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, Bleacher Report)

Other realistic possibilities include:
-Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit, MI; 12/28 5 p.m.)
-Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, TX; 12/29 2 p.m)
-Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN; 12/30 7 p.m.)
-Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA; 12/30 10:30 p.m.)
-TaxSlayer Bowl (Jacksonville, FL; 1/2 12 p.m.)

I will be happy with any of these bowls, but being a selfish human, I'd much prefer one the non-December 26 bowls, since I don't have a chance in hell of traveling to New York or the Bay Area on Christmas Day.  Then again, Christmas comes once a year, while an IU bowl berth doesn't, Jester.

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